Chapter 1 - the Giver

Jonas lives in a community where the rules are kept very well by all of the people. The rules control every things such as people’s jobs, language and so on. Even family unit is also fixed by rules which are to set as 4 family members, so Jonas has a Father and a Mother and a little sister. As December is coming, Jonas has felt something complicated because of The Ceremony of Twelve. 

 

 

 

During reading, i was wondering why the names of jobs are written starting with capital letters. Even Mother and Father as well. The job title is a proper noun representing each person as a member of this controlled society? So, in the smaller group of society, family, mother and father are just roles to consist of and maintain the society? I think that Feelings which is a sharing process of their feelings, could be a kind of tool to control people’s mind for the same purpose. 

Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet,

 squint |skwɪnt|

verb[ no obj. ] look at someone or something with one or both eyes partly closed in an attempt to see more clearly or as a reaction to strong light: 
the bright sun made them squint.

sleek |sliːk|

adjective
(of hair, fur, or skin) smooth and glossy: he was tall, with sleek, dark hair.
• (of an animal) having smooth, glossy hair or fur: a sleek black cat.
• (of a person) having a wealthy and well-groomed appearance: a sleek and ambitious junior Minister.

the children rode their bicycles to the riverbank and watched, intrigued, the unloading

intrigue
verb |ɪnˈtriːg| ( intrigues, intriguing, intrigued )
1 [ with obj. ] arouse the curiosity or interest of; fascinate: I was intrigued by your question.

Instantly, obediently, Jonas had dropped his bike on its side on the path behind his family's dwelling.

obedient |əˈbiːdɪənt|

adjective
complying or willing to comply with an order or request; submissive to another's authority: she was totally obedient to him.

an upturned wheel on one was still revolving slowly.

revolve |rɪˈvɒlv|

verb [ no obj. ]
move in a circle on a central axis: overhead, the fan revolved slowly.

The sense of his own community silent, waiting, had made his stomach churn.

churn |tʃəːn|

verb [ with obj. ]
(with reference to liquid) move or cause to move about vigorously: [ no obj. ] : the seas churned | figurative : her stomach was churning at the thought of the ordeal | [ with obj. ] : in high winds most of the loch is churned up .

break up the surface of (an area of ground): the earth had been churned up where vehicles had passed through.

Within minutes the speakers had crackled again, and the voice, reassuring now and less urgent, had explained

crackle |ˈkrak(ə)l|

verb [ no obj. ]
make a rapid succession of short sharp noises: the fire suddenly crackled and spat sparks.
• give a sense of great tension or animation: attraction and antagonism were crackling between them.

reassure |riːəˈʃʊə|

verb [ with obj. ]
say or do something to remove the doubts and fears of (someone): he understood her feelings and tried to reassure her | [ with obj. and clause ] : Joachim reassured him that he was needed | (as adj.reassuring) : Gina gave her a reassuring smile.

grim statement

grim |grɪm|

adjective ( grimmer, grimmest )
 very serious or gloomy: his grim expression.
• depressing or worrying to consider: the grim news of the murder.

jeering

jeer |dʒɪə|

verb [ no obj. ]
make rude and mocking remarks, typically in a loud voice: some of the younger men jeered at him | (as adj.jeering) : the jeering crowds.
[ with obj. ] shout rude and mocking remarks at (someone): councillors were jeered and heckled.

he remembered that moment of palpable, stomach- sinking terror when the aircraft had streaked above.

palpable |ˈpalpəb(ə)l|

adjective
able to be touched or felt: the palpable bump at the bridge of the nose.

streak |striːk|

verb
[ no obj., with adverbial of direction ] move very fast in a specified direction: the cat streaked across the street.

'Distraught'

distraught |dɪˈstrɔːt|

adjective
very worried and upset: a distraught woman sobbed and screamed for help | he is terribly distraught.

Apprehensive,

apprehensive |aprɪˈhɛnsɪv|

adjective
1 anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen: he felt apprehensive about going home.
2 rare relating to perception or understanding.

they didn't fight and wheedle for their turn.

wheedle |ˈwiːd(ə)l|

verb [ no obj. ]
use endearments or flattery to persuade someone to do something or give one something: she wheedled her way on to the guest list | [ with obj. ] : she had wheedled us into employing her brother | [ with direct speech ] : ‘Please, for my sake,’ he wheedled.

he wasn’t eager to begin the process of sifting through his own complicated emotions

 

sift |sɪft|

verb [ with obj. ]
1 put (a fine or loose substance) through a sieve so as to remove lumps or large particles: sift the flour into a large bowl.
• cause to flow or pass as through a sieve: Miranda sifted the warm sand through her fingers.
• [ no obj., with adverbial of direction ] (of snow, ash, etc.) descend lightly or sparsely as if sprinkled from a sieve: ash began to sift down round them.
2 examine (something) thoroughly so as to isolate that which is most important: until we sift the evidence ourselves, we can't comment objectively | [ no obj. ] : the fourth stage involves sifting through the data and evaluating it.
• (sift something out) separate something, especially something to be discarded, from something else: he asked for streamlined procedures to sift out frivolous applications.

She held up a clenched fist and the rest of the family smiled at her small defiant gesture.

clench |klɛn(t)ʃ|

verb
(with reference to the fingers or hand) close into a tight ball, especially as a manifestation of extreme anger: [ with obj. ] : she clenched her fists, struggling for control | [ no obj. ] : Ian's right hand clenched into a fist | (as adj.clenched) : he struck the wall with his clenched fist.

defiance |dɪˈfʌɪəns|

noun [ mass noun ]
open resistance; bold disobedience: an act of defiance | the demonstration was held in defiance of official warnings.

Lily shrugged, and nodded. "I suppose."

 

 

shrug |ʃrʌg|

verb ( shrugs, shrugging, shrugged ) [ with obj. ]
raise (one's shoulders) slightly and momentarily to express doubt, ignorance, or indifference: Jimmy looked enquiringly at Pete, who shrugged his shoulders | [ no obj. ] : he just shrugged and didn't look interested.
• (shrug something off) dismiss something as unimportant: the managing director shrugged off the criticism.

Lily pondered that. "Yes," she said, finally.

ponder |ˈpɒndə|

verb [ with obj. ]
think about (something) carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion: I pondered the question of what clothes to wear for the occasion | [ no obj. ] : she sat pondering over her problem.

He's a sweet little male with a lovely disposition

disposition |dɪspəˈzɪʃ(ə)n|

noun
a person's inherent qualities of mind and character: a sweet-natured girl of a placid disposition | he has the disposition of a saint.

• [ often with infinitive ] an inclination or tendency: the Prime Minister has shown a disposition to alter policies | the judge's disposition to clemency.

a prominent position

prominent |ˈprɒmɪnənt|

adjective
important; famous: she was a prominent member of the city council.

there's a third transgression

transgression |trɑːnsˈgrɛʃn, trɑːnzˈgrɛʃn, transˈgrɛʃn, tranzˈgrɛʃn|

noun
an act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct; an offence: I'll be keeping an eye out for further transgressions | few ministers now stand down because of sexual transgressions | [ mass noun ] : her transgression of genteel etiquette.

She stroked her mother's arm.

stroke |strəʊk|

verb [ with obj. ]
1 move one's hand with gentle pressure over (a surface), typically repeatedly; caress: he put his hand on her hair and stroked it.

she whispered in an awed voice

awe |ɔː|

The crowd listened in awed silence.

[NOUN]

Awe is the feeling of respect and amazement that you have when you are faced with something wonderful and often rather frightening.She gazed in awe at the great stones

[VERB]

If you are awed by someone or something, they make you feel respectful and amazed, though often rather frightened.I am still awed by David's courage

Mother said, beckoning to the little girl

beckon |ˈbɛk(ə)n|

verb [ no obj. ]
make a gesture with the hand, arm, or head to encourage or instruct someone to approach or follow: Miranda beckoned to Adam.